Colombia’s Central Workers Unitary (CUT) confederation of trade unions has denounced threats made via WhatsApp against its members by a paramilitary group.
Threats were sent by the Gaitanist Self-Defence Forces (AGC) to a WhatsApp group identified as ‘Suarez Cauca’, which included members of trade unions and social movements, over support for left-wing presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, who was beaten to the Colombian presidency by Ivan Duque of the right-wing Democratic Centre. The messages said that the AGC has cells in major Colombian cities and that ‘we are going to kill you’.
In a statement, the CUT said called on the national and international communities to pressure the Colombian state to investigate the threats and to ensure the safety of the individuals named as targets in the message.